Rights group Fortify Rights on Tuesday urged the Malaysian government to halt further returns of Myanmar nationals from immigration detention and cancel a planned visit this month by Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
In a letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, members of Fortify Rights’ Leadership Council called for independent assessments of detainees’ individual protection needs before any further returns.
“Malaysia should use its diplomatic influence to secure concrete protections for people fleeing Myanmar, rather than grant Min Aung Hlaing the prestige of an official visit while his military continues to attack civilians,” said Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, a member of the Fortify Rights Leadership Council and a former Malaysian foreign minister.
The government should withdraw its invitation to Min Aung Hlaing and suspend further returns to Myanmar until independent assessments establish that detainees are choosing freely and can return safely, he said.
Other signatories to the letter include former foreign ministers, a former US ambassador, a British parliamentarian, an international prosecutor and leading human rights advocates.
On September 29, Malaysia returned 1,476 Myanmar nationals, including children, aboard two Myanmar naval vessels and a hospital ship. Reports indicate that another 3,542 people are scheduled to be returned in a second phase.
The returnees had been held in Malaysian immigration detention camps after serving sentences for illegal stays and violations of immigration regulations.
The United Nations has said conditions in Myanmar “do not support the safe and sustainable return of refugees”, although Malaysia maintains that the repatriation process is strictly voluntary.
Fortify Rights said prolonged detention and a lack of access to protection procedures raise serious questions about whether detainees can give their consent freely.
The Leadership Council urged Malaysia to restore the UN refugee agency UNHCR’s access to all immigration detention facilities and ensure confidential interviews, legal assistance, interpreters and an effective opportunity for detainees to challenge return decisions.
It was not immediately clear whether any members of Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority were among those returned.
Malaysia has intensified immigration enforcement in recent years amid growing public hostility towards refugees, particularly the Rohingya.
Min Aung Hlaing, who became Myanmar’s president after leading the military junta, is scheduled to visit Malaysia this month, Malaysian state media reported. The two countries have continued discussions on the return of refugees and people displaced by the conflict.
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